Facts About the Irish Lottery
Irish National Lottery is operated in Ireland since 1987. The largest jackpot has reached a record of €16,185,749 in July 2007. Play Online..
The largest unclaimed Ireland Lotto jackpot of £2,713,334 was won in July 30, 2001 drawing, the holder however failed to collect it before the ticket expired at the close of business by the end of September, 2001.
In November 1991 the largest number of winners was recorded for a single jackpot when twenty tickets shared a prize of £2,396,346, receiving £119,817 each. You can check winning numbers at Irish Lottery official web site.
History of the Lottery
The National Lottery initially began with scratchcards games having afterwards expanded the portfolio to include Lotto drawings, television bingo, televised game shows, and participation in the transnational EuroMillions lottery. The Lotto games accounted for 53.3% of total sales in 2006, while instant scratchcard games accounted for 23% of sales.
All cash prizes won in Ireland National Lottery games are paid as tax-free lump sums and need to be claimed within 90 days of the drawing dates.
Irish Lotto game originally started in 1988 as a 6/36 lottery having changed afterwards three times in its history, most recently to 6/45 in 2006. The minimum play has always been two lines of six numbers.
The Irish Lottery sales for 2006 increased to a record of €679.1 million, a 10.2% growth on 2005, representing the highest revenue growth in 15 years. Lotto players won a total of €362.1 million in prizes during the year, up from €324.8 million in 2005. Operating costs in 2006 represented 14.6% of sales including €42.1 million paid to retail agents in commission and bonuses.
Ireland Lotto game has recently introduced structural changes to improve sales that have been constantly decreasing in the recent years. When in July 2007 over two-thirds of Irish adults bought tickets for a record-breaking €16 million rollover Lotto jackpot, the changes proved to be successful. Play Online..